Thank you for this explanation! I had begun my usage of this technique using the incorrect term but have switched to "yakisugi" and am also encouraging it with others.
Thank you for sharing the 3-plank technique! I was frustrated when I first heard about "shou sugi ban" and was told to use a blowtorch. Thought to myself. . . this can't be an official, traditional Japanese method.
ha. same. like, just getting the image of ancient japan and friggin blowtorches...... (farcical image that apparently my brain just had to do). from my experience with japan/culture, there is almost always a really refined, efficient, and low-tech way to do everything. (low tech meaning also that it is portable in a lot of respects.)
Thank you for correctly calling it Yakisugi. ("grilled cedar".) Yep, cedar. I know there's some dispute over exactly which conifer, is involved. Here's a Japanese carpenter making a repair and near the end of the video is adding some to the exterior of the house. ruclips.net/video/yjcqeItTdxA/видео.html He's using cedar and about thirteen minutes and thirteen seconds in he calls it yakisugi. When they are "grilling" the wood, there is also a specific side they use. The side of the plank closest to the center of the tree is the side that is burned. A Japanese carpenter would consider that the back or bottom of the plank, and in most cases in the interior would be the side you don't see. But on the exterior that side is burned and faces out.
Thank you for this fantastic explanation. I am currently building a house in Ireland , clad in Japanese larch, could you please give me the translation for this? Thanks again with love from Ireland
If the trend is to use a beautiful siding solution that is also eco-friendly, I think we can dismiss culture appropriation. I'm going with it due to its simplicity, eco friendliness, longevity, and incredible beauty no matter the cultural source. Thank you for the history lesson. I will call it 'Yakisugi' from now on.
i think it's more about 1) using the right name and 2) saying it's "inspired from" since using a torch and whatnot *isn't* accurate to the practice. it's an interesting trend, but does feel bizarre if you come from knowing the traditional practice. since it is both misnamed and also misused in application. i think a lot of cultural appropriation stuff could be negated simply by saying "hey, here's a cool idea from xyz place, and we're gonna do something similar." glad to know it's *yakisugi* and not the name everyone's calling it by. the waterproofing and longterm integrity is a really interesting result. looking to future proof some garden beds. i know they can break down fast!
Thanks for this. Ive been looking for videos on this technique since i originally saw it (the wood looked like how it does at 3:59), but every video i see is a Westerner just taking a propane torch to a piece of red oak until its slightly charred then calling it done and perfect and its terrible.
I'm building a chicken coop using "Shou Sugi Ban" but only have access to pine rather than sugi(cypress) so I thought I'd do a little research so I could string together the proper words for pine wood that is treated this way. I came up with: burnt(Yaki), Pine(Matsunoki), and Board/Plank(Ita) or all together, "Yakimatsunokiita". After watching I now know that the proper term would be Yakimatsu. So if I were to add the word for board(ita) at the end, how would I do that? Would it be "Yakimatsuita"? Thank you :)
Yes! Yakimatsu ita is definitely fine to say. I need to make an update to this video at some point, because I have learned some more from some friends working on site with yakisugi.
@@KathrynLarsen I'd be stoked to see more videos about how yakisugi is traditionally made and applied in Japan. I have a sawmilling business in BC and I've been sawing up a bunch of red cedar for the purpose of making yakisugi. I've also heard that western larch works well as burnt cladding. It shares similar rot resistant qualities with cedar, but it is also a stronger wood. According to chat GPT the Japanese word for larch is rachi, so I would refer to this product as yakirachi I suppose.
Hi Kathryn. Thanks for a well put together video. Question…. Is Yakasugi truly only done on one side of the wood? I know it is used to further weatherproof Japanese cedar but I was to understand that it helps prevent damage from insects as well. If the process is done only on one side, can the other sides of the plank be susceptible to weather and/or infestation? Thanks for any info.
Hi Joe! That's a really good question. Usually only the outer cladding is directly exposed to rain. And there's usually 2 separate strategies for external timber walls. One is to prevent moisture from building up and getting trapped inside the wall cavity through condensation. This is done with conventional insulation materials like mineral wools, by use of a wind permeable board that is just underneath the spacers and cladding (like yakisugi cladding). Then you will also use a waterproof membrane (plastic) at the part where condensation can occur inside the wall before insulating further and applying your interior finish. The other option is to combine the timber cladding & wind permeable board with a natural insulation material and natural finish like clay plaster. Some natural insulations like sheep's wool and seagrass allow for a "breathable construction". They absorb moisture and release it through the wall cavity through diffusion so nothing gets trapped inside. Both these strategies are relatively resistant to weather because of the different ways they deal with moisture- although some natural insulation options might attract vermin. Seagrass doesn't due to the salt content, but hay might unless you use a lime plaster coating. In general, wood cladding tends to be externally susceptible to weather and insects like termites- which is why paints or oil based coatings tend to be used, to protect and prevent everything from getting eaten away from the outside in. Some natural insulations, like cellulose will also contain borate to act as a fire retardant and dissuade pests. I hope this helps explain a bit behind why only one side is usually burned and some of the different strategies for constructions.
I think you can also say yakimatsu. Douglas fir is called beimatsu. The bei character is the same one we use for USA so "American pine" is how it's called in Japanese.
That bit at the end, lol ok. Seems we need to tell Italians that the Chinese own pasta now since there's no such thing as cultural exposts, two or more versions of the same things can't exist at the same time, and something, something cultural appropriation, time to give China back a _huge_ number of things, but at least the French get to have cars (even though people think Germany was the first). Or we can accept no one owns culture, language changes over time, all cultures are subject to misunderstandings and mistranslation, then therein, thereby, and thereafter collectively grow up.
Rudeness is often unintentional. Still, folks should take a little time to do research if they can. And certainly, teachers shoulder the responsibility to know what they're saying if they introduce a "cool foreign concept" to a hungry audience.
Very interesting topic and well produced too! Have been to Japan and misread some characters and used the wrong words too which lead to mass confusion. Probably the most embarassing was when I was at a formal dinner and asked the host where the toilet was located in the informal manner instead of formal (whoops!) - western equivalent of asking where the 'crapper' was apparently. I'm not quite sure what the expression for equal parts offended/amused was, but that was the general response haha. Hope to see more people find the channel in future, but I pass it on to architects whenever it seems a good fit!
Thanks for the informative video👍. I call it charred wood or carbonized wood, as I feel it covers the general prosess, wether you use cypress, cedar or pine. You didn' t happen to find any scientific research on this technique, making this video? I've been looking for an objective expert opinion on the life span on this product. Thanks!
I haven't found a paper - maybe there is one, because I found one for bamboo lath and earthquake resistance for example, but in general there are so many traditional techniques that are not properly studied. I work with this a lot and the research simply is not there because it's considered old and boring.
wish this had more upvotes, because ALL i see is shou sugi ban. yaki- anything makes more sense to me because you commonly see it with cooked foods like yakitori so i associate it with flame-cooked. lol. flame-cooked wood. (EDIT: oh. lol. and there, you mentioned that basically. was only partway thru during comment.) yeah the trends are all using torches and it's like........ ancient japan didn't have that, so what DID they use? had seen the chimney idea on a vid just before this one, only the edges burnt up a bit... my though was passing planks over a fire, though i guess the chimney would be faster if there was a way to do it without crumbling the edge. i'll do more research on here using the proper name.
yeah, this "technique" has become all the rage in homesteading in the U.S. (at least on the youtuber homesteaders) and what little I thought I knew about it, had me cringing at the use of the term and the watered down "technique" which is typically little more than a mild scorching for appearance sake rather than the true deep char which actually creates the protective layor.
I am a big fan of taking inspiration from local techniques but I think it's really important to understand the how and why before adapting them. Otherwise yeah, it's just scorching the wood instead of charcoalizing it, and may not have a true water resistant finish.
The word "homestead" is being abused in the same way here. . . . I'm sorry, but having a garden and a couple animals does not make your property a homestead. Our pilgrim fathers would be rolling their eyes.
I'm glad I came upon this video while searching this technique. Thank you for the cultural lesson. I will be burning pine with a blowtorch. Americanized Yakimatsu.
I appreciate the distinction but, as with all communication, I will yield to extant convention, as such is the essence of communication. When in Rome....
So here's what we will do. For the Western wood burning we can call it Shou Sugi Ban and then for the Original process we call it what it is Yakisugi. We can take processes and make them our own no matter where it's from. It's not disrespectful to adjust a process to your own liking. But it's good to know the origin and get a better understanding of the process.
The West knows Japanese craft and architecture better than any other Eastern culture. I am not sure what this lady is talking about. That fact that they care about an obscure wood treatment procedure demonstrates it, the kanji reading issue doesn't change anything really.
Thank you for this explanation! I had begun my usage of this technique using the incorrect term but have switched to "yakisugi" and am also encouraging it with others.
Thank you for watching!
Thank you for sharing the 3-plank technique! I was frustrated when I first heard about "shou sugi ban" and was told to use a blowtorch. Thought to myself. . . this can't be an official, traditional Japanese method.
ha. same. like, just getting the image of ancient japan and friggin blowtorches...... (farcical image that apparently my brain just had to do). from my experience with japan/culture, there is almost always a really refined, efficient, and low-tech way to do everything. (low tech meaning also that it is portable in a lot of respects.)
Thank you for such a good informational video. I will be adapting this method for some craft!
Thank you for correctly calling it Yakisugi. ("grilled cedar".) Yep, cedar. I know there's some dispute over exactly which conifer, is involved. Here's a Japanese carpenter making a repair and near the end of the video is adding some to the exterior of the house. ruclips.net/video/yjcqeItTdxA/видео.html He's using cedar and about thirteen minutes and thirteen seconds in he calls it yakisugi.
When they are "grilling" the wood, there is also a specific side they use. The side of the plank closest to the center of the tree is the side that is burned. A Japanese carpenter would consider that the back or bottom of the plank, and in most cases in the interior would be the side you don't see. But on the exterior that side is burned and faces out.
kanji is pain. *single tear*. you are becoming fluent at speaking meme
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I did not know all the history.
Thank you for watching!
Thanks for explaining it.. Im about to try it and i was really confused about the two names.. Now its clear
Good luck!!
Thank you!!! Great video
Thank you for this!
Thank you for this fantastic explanation. I am currently building a house in Ireland , clad in Japanese larch, could you please give me the translation for this? Thanks again with love from Ireland
there is also an American and a European tradition of preserving barn wood with fire
If the trend is to use a beautiful siding solution that is also eco-friendly, I think we can dismiss culture appropriation. I'm going with it due to its simplicity, eco friendliness, longevity, and incredible beauty no matter the cultural source.
Thank you for the history lesson. I will call it 'Yakisugi' from now on.
i think it's more about 1) using the right name and 2) saying it's "inspired from" since using a torch and whatnot *isn't* accurate to the practice.
it's an interesting trend, but does feel bizarre if you come from knowing the traditional practice. since it is both misnamed and also misused in application. i think a lot of cultural appropriation stuff could be negated simply by saying "hey, here's a cool idea from xyz place, and we're gonna do something similar."
glad to know it's *yakisugi* and not the name everyone's calling it by. the waterproofing and longterm integrity is a really interesting result. looking to future proof some garden beds. i know they can break down fast!
I'm reminded of yakitori or teriyaki when watching this. The "yaki" part of yakisugi makes so much more sense over shou sugi!
Yaki is basically "grilled". Yakisugi is grilled cedar.
Thanks for the clarification
Thanks for this. Ive been looking for videos on this technique since i originally saw it (the wood looked like how it does at 3:59), but every video i see is a Westerner just taking a propane torch to a piece of red oak until its slightly charred then calling it done and perfect and its terrible.
Anyone know the difference with this and using stain to preserve the wood? Which lasts longer?
I'm building a chicken coop using "Shou Sugi Ban" but only have access to pine rather than sugi(cypress) so I thought I'd do a little research so I could string together the proper words for pine wood that is treated this way. I came up with: burnt(Yaki), Pine(Matsunoki), and Board/Plank(Ita) or all together, "Yakimatsunokiita". After watching I now know that the proper term would be Yakimatsu. So if I were to add the word for board(ita) at the end, how would I do that? Would it be "Yakimatsuita"? Thank you :)
Yes! Yakimatsu ita is definitely fine to say. I need to make an update to this video at some point, because I have learned some more from some friends working on site with yakisugi.
Please do! Fascinating!
@@KathrynLarsen I would be interested too.
@@KathrynLarsen I'd be stoked to see more videos about how yakisugi is traditionally made and applied in Japan. I have a sawmilling business in BC and I've been sawing up a bunch of red cedar for the purpose of making yakisugi. I've also heard that western larch works well as burnt cladding. It shares similar rot resistant qualities with cedar, but it is also a stronger wood. According to chat GPT the Japanese word for larch is rachi, so I would refer to this product as yakirachi I suppose.
thank you so much!
I'm about to blow torch some planks to make some raised beds. It preserves their life so thats why im burning all sides.
Hi Kathryn. Thanks for a well put together video. Question…. Is Yakasugi truly only done on one side of the wood? I know it is used to further weatherproof Japanese cedar but I was to understand that it helps prevent damage from insects as well. If the process is done only on one side, can the other sides of the plank be susceptible to weather and/or infestation? Thanks for any info.
Hi Joe! That's a really good question. Usually only the outer cladding is directly exposed to rain. And there's usually 2 separate strategies for external timber walls.
One is to prevent moisture from building up and getting trapped inside the wall cavity through condensation. This is done with conventional insulation materials like mineral wools, by use of a wind permeable board that is just underneath the spacers and cladding (like yakisugi cladding). Then you will also use a waterproof membrane (plastic) at the part where condensation can occur inside the wall before insulating further and applying your interior finish.
The other option is to combine the timber cladding & wind permeable board with a natural insulation material and natural finish like clay plaster. Some natural insulations like sheep's wool and seagrass allow for a "breathable construction". They absorb moisture and release it through the wall cavity through diffusion so nothing gets trapped inside.
Both these strategies are relatively resistant to weather because of the different ways they deal with moisture- although some natural insulation options might attract vermin. Seagrass doesn't due to the salt content, but hay might unless you use a lime plaster coating.
In general, wood cladding tends to be externally susceptible to weather and insects like termites- which is why paints or oil based coatings tend to be used, to protect and prevent everything from getting eaten away from the outside in. Some natural insulations, like cellulose will also contain borate to act as a fire retardant and dissuade pests.
I hope this helps explain a bit behind why only one side is usually burned and some of the different strategies for constructions.
Thank you for the information. What would it be called when using Douglas Fir?
I think you can also say yakimatsu. Douglas fir is called beimatsu. The bei character is the same one we use for USA so "American pine" is how it's called in Japanese.
@@KathrynLarsen thank you so much
That bit at the end, lol ok. Seems we need to tell Italians that the Chinese own pasta now since there's no such thing as cultural exposts, two or more versions of the same things can't exist at the same time, and something, something cultural appropriation, time to give China back a _huge_ number of things, but at least the French get to have cars (even though people think Germany was the first).
Or we can accept no one owns culture, language changes over time, all cultures are subject to misunderstandings and mistranslation, then therein, thereby, and thereafter collectively grow up.
This is helpful. Although, I doubt others are purposely disrespecting the names or processes by inter changing both.
Rudeness is often unintentional. Still, folks should take a little time to do research if they can. And certainly, teachers shoulder the responsibility to know what they're saying if they introduce a "cool foreign concept" to a hungry audience.
I may have missed it but what is the translation then for Shou Sugi Ban?
There isn't really one, it's just a misreading. It's a bit like exchanging the pronunciation for "Polish" with "polish".
Perhaps calling it shou sugi ban is still appropriate to differentiate it from the traditional technique?
Very interesting topic and well produced too! Have been to Japan and misread some characters and used the wrong words too which lead to mass confusion. Probably the most embarassing was when I was at a formal dinner and asked the host where the toilet was located in the informal manner instead of formal (whoops!) - western equivalent of asking where the 'crapper' was apparently. I'm not quite sure what the expression for equal parts offended/amused was, but that was the general response haha.
Hope to see more people find the channel in future, but I pass it on to architects whenever it seems a good fit!
Thank you so much! And thank you for passing on my channel too, I work really hard on these videos and it means a lot that people enjoy them :)
いいえね！天才です！ありがとうございます。
Ah thank you! All these woodworkers have been driving me nuts.
Thanks for the informative video👍. I call it charred wood or carbonized wood, as I feel it covers the general prosess, wether you use cypress, cedar or pine.
You didn' t happen to find any scientific research on this technique, making this video? I've been looking for an objective expert opinion on the life span on this product. Thanks!
I haven't found a paper - maybe there is one, because I found one for bamboo lath and earthquake resistance for example, but in general there are so many traditional techniques that are not properly studied. I work with this a lot and the research simply is not there because it's considered old and boring.
wish this had more upvotes, because ALL i see is shou sugi ban. yaki- anything makes more sense to me because you commonly see it with cooked foods like yakitori so i associate it with flame-cooked. lol. flame-cooked wood.
(EDIT: oh. lol. and there, you mentioned that basically. was only partway thru during comment.)
yeah the trends are all using torches and it's like........ ancient japan didn't have that, so what DID they use? had seen the chimney idea on a vid just before this one, only the edges burnt up a bit... my though was passing planks over a fire, though i guess the chimney would be faster if there was a way to do it without crumbling the edge. i'll do more research on here using the proper name.
I doubt the current yakisugi is done with the chimney method though. I suppose industrials use a method closer to the western diy
Yaki matsu
Could I say kuro matsu and mean the same?
yeah, this "technique" has become all the rage in homesteading in the U.S. (at least on the youtuber homesteaders) and what little I thought I knew about it, had me cringing at the use of the term and the watered down "technique" which is typically little more than a mild scorching for appearance sake rather than the true deep char which actually creates the protective layor.
I am a big fan of taking inspiration from local techniques but I think it's really important to understand the how and why before adapting them. Otherwise yeah, it's just scorching the wood instead of charcoalizing it, and may not have a true water resistant finish.
The word "homestead" is being abused in the same way here. . . . I'm sorry, but having a garden and a couple animals does not make your property a homestead. Our pilgrim fathers would be rolling their eyes.
I'm glad I came upon this video while searching this technique. Thank you for the cultural lesson. I will be burning pine with a blowtorch. Americanized Yakimatsu.
so i will start calling it yakimatsu instead since i mostly use pine. great!
Or i can use the norwegian term "forkullet furu"
Less rambling, more info
This is unnecessary
It's not that deep.. lmao 🤣
I appreciate the distinction but, as with all communication, I will yield to extant convention, as such is the essence of communication. When in Rome....
So here's what we will do. For the Western wood burning we can call it Shou Sugi Ban and then for the Original process we call it what it is Yakisugi. We can take processes and make them our own no matter where it's from. It's not disrespectful to adjust a process to your own liking. But it's good to know the origin and get a better understanding of the process.
For a "Western process" why would you use a fake Japanese term?
The West knows Japanese craft and architecture better than any other Eastern culture. I am not sure what this lady is talking about. That fact that they care about an obscure wood treatment procedure demonstrates it, the kanji reading issue doesn't change anything really.